Gawain and the Green Knight themes

The primary theme of a literary work is built into many different facets of its composition. Draft a phrase describing a main theme of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Find passages (list them by line number and brief quotations) in which the poem encodes that theme in (1) an image, (2) a statement, and (3) a plot event. Type this into a document, save it as a Word document or Pdf and upload that file before the deadline. Use the following format:

Name

Description of theme you are identifying.

1: Image (minimum of 1) that provides evidence of your stated theme. This should be an image described in the text--NOT A PICTURE. List the line number(s) and a brief excerpt of the passage.

2: Statements (minimum of 2) that provide evidence of your stated theme. List the line numbers and a brief excerpt of the passage.

3: A plot event that provides evidence of your stated theme.

Solution Preview

When choosing a theme to work with, look for repetition. Are there images that show up more than once (the color green, for example). Are there patterns, or even language that get repeated over and over? Gawain is rich with themes, but one of the best thematic areas to pull from is the idea of the chivalric code. To find a specific theme to discuss, look more closely at those sections of the poem dealing with chivalry or the Court. Another thematic area to think about is nature versus civilization. Look for descriptions of nature or the Green Chapel and contrast them with images and scenes of the court. There are several others to work with, but many students find these to be the easiest areas to recognize themes in this poem.

If you are still struggling to articulate a theme, or if you need help finding better examples of the theme you choose to examine, please let me know.

1: Image (minimum of 1) that provides evidence of your stated theme. This should be an image described in the text--NOT A PICTURE. List the line number(s) and a brief excerpt of the passage.

Gawain is full of ...

Solution Summary

An overview of the steps taken to articulate and examine the themes of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This solution looks at two themes of the poem: nature versus civilization and the chivalric code. To examine them, it details sections to read when looking for images, statements, and plot events that help to identify these themes.